“Leaving Afghanistan: Moral Injury and the Forever War.”

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has left many active duty servicemembers, veterans, and Afghan people with a sense of betrayal and deep concern. Many U.S. veterans question what they were fighting for in Afghanistan, all the while deeply mourning those that did not make it home and those whom they left behind who aided the war effort—Afghan interpreters, their families, and military allies. The term being used to describe what many veterans are feeling is not only betrayal, but moral injury. Moral injury is  the damage done to one’s conscience or moral compass when that person perpetrates, witnesses, or fails to prevent acts that transgress one’s own moral beliefs, values, or ethical codes of conduct. To address these challenges, the Moral Injury Project of Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel, in affiliation with Le Moyne College, has organized a community conversation entitled “Leaving Afghanistan:  Moral Injury and the Forever War.”

The event will take place on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 (5:30-7:30 p.m.) at  Le Moyne College’s  Grewen  Auditorium on the third floor of Grewen Hall.  A virtual option for attendance will be announced before the event as well. Parking will be available in Lots A, AA, and C (see campus map).    

Speakers
Rev. Dr. Donald J. Kirby, S.J., Le Moyne College
Rev. Dr. Brian Konkol, Dean of Hendricks Chapel
Carlos Cervantes, US Army Veteran
Carlos Prillwitz, US Army Veteran
Zac Lois, US Army Veteran
Saboor Sakhizad, SIV, Former NATO Cultural Advisor
Dr. Bill Cross, Psychologist and Vietnam Veteran
Rev. Dr. Wesley Fleming, VA Chaplain

Co-sponsored by Veterans Services and the Student Veterans Association of Le Moyne College and the Moral Injury Project at Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel.

Event contacts
Dr. Eileen E. Schell, Coordinator of the Moral Injury Project,  Syracuse University  eeschell@syr.edu
Jennifer Reddy, Associate Director, Continuing Education, Le Moyne College reddyjc@lemoyne.edu

In compliance with COVID protocols at Le Moyne College, attendees must wear masks at the event.

 

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